1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an imaging apparatus that images a subject with a solid imaging device or a CCD and stores image signals with high definition in a recording device such as a semiconductor memory card, the solid imaging device and the driving method for the solid imaging device. The present invention relates more particularly to an imaging apparatus that reduces data with high definition from a CCD in which pixel data of a plurality of lines composes color information and transmits the data, an imaging method and a solid imaging device.
2. Description of Related Art
The number of pixels of a CCD is sharply rising to improve dispersive power of shot images in recent years. When the images are sequentially displayed on a displaying device, it takes a long time to process the image data from the CCD and the frame rate (updating period of displayed images) is low. To address this problem, Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 7-312714 discloses an electronic camera that reduces image signals with high definition acquired from a high-definition-CCD with color filter arrangement of G stripe and R and B complete check or R, G and B stripe to produce image signals with low definition and displays an image.
The electronic camera disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 7-312714 is effective for the high-definition-CCD with color filter arrangement (G stripe and R and B complete check or R, G and B stripe) in which image data of one line composes color information. However, in case of a CCD with Bayer arrangement in which image data of two lines composes color information, the image easily has untrue colors when intervals at reducing of the image data are long, and thus the quality of the image displayed on a monitor is poor.
An example of a method of reducing data outputted from a CCD with Bayer arrangement is shown in FIG. 6, which is proposed in pending U.S. patent application Ser. Nos. 09/492,093 and 09/570,733 assigned to the assignee of the present application. In this example, when data outputted from a CCD 112 with Bayer-arranged photoelectrically transferring devices 140 is to be reduced, image data of the first data is obtained from pixel data of the first line and pixel data of the second line and pixel data of the third line through the eighth line is eliminated and image data of the second data is obtained from the pixel data of the second line and pixel data of the ninth line and image data of the third line is obtained from the pixel data of the ninth line and pixel data of the tenth line. In this case, the image data of the first line and the image data of the third line are obtained from the pixel data of the adjoining lines, and thus right image data can be obtained. However, the image data of the second line is obtained from the lines that are not adjoining to each other, and thus the image displayed on the monitor has untrue colors.